11. The wind is in a hurry today

When night and day greet each other.

When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive — to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.

~ Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

10. A sunrise walk in the woods

Morning on the dock.

Accept what comes from silence.
Make the best you can of it.
Of the little words that come
out of the silence, like prayers
prayed back to the one who prays,
make a poem that does not disturb
the silence from which it came.

~ Wendell Berry, Excerpted from his poem “Given” 

9. Inhale, exhale

Maria’s clouds moved out near sunset yesterday and took some of the sunset colors with her.

Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts. Whenever your mind becomes scattered, use your breath as the means to take hold of your mind again.

~ Thich Nhat Hanh, The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation

8. Rising, falling

It was a dark and misty morning.

The loving mind can observe peace and joy in one moment, and then grief in the next moment, and it will not be shattered by the change. A mind filled with love can be likened to the sky with a variety of clouds moving through it–some light and fluffy, others ominous and threatening. No matter what the situation, the sky is not threatened by the clouds. It is free.

~Sharon Salzberg

7. Maria’s bands

A touch of light in the early morning clouds.

I hold the most archaic values on earth … the fertility of the soul, the magic of the animals, the power-vision in solitude…. the love and ecstasy of the dance, the common work of the tribe.

~ Gary Snyder

Book review: Dryland: One Woman’s Swim to Sobriety

I drink the way I used to swim: all or nothing. Truthfully, “nothing” was never an option. It was always “all.”

~ Nancy Stearns Bercaw

5. Distractions

Morning glories reaching for the loblolly pine in the fog.

The mind can go in a thousand directions, but on this beautiful path, I walk in peace. With each step, the wind blows. With each step, a flower blooms.

~ Thich Nhat Hanh